Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense attorney was less than pleased with how most news outlets covered the shooting that brought his client into the national spotlight.
Rittenhouse’s attorney, Mark Richards, made an appearance Sunday on NewsNation Now. He discussed how many news outlets covered the trial and the original incident that got the 18-year-old arrested. Host Ashleigh Banfield asked the attorney about recent recommendations from Nicholas Sandmann encouraging Rittenhouse to consider filing defamation cases against the news outlets who spread misinformation about him. Richards specifically went after CNN and MSNBC for spreading false information.
“It makes me angry that they can’t take the time to get at least the generic basic facts correct because it didn’t fit the story they wanted to tell,” Richards said.
Rittenhouse lawyer Mark Richards on @BanfieldonNN
goes after CNN and MSNBC for their false reporting about the case: “It makes me angry that they can’t take the time to at least the generic basic facts correct because it didn’t fit the story they wanted to tell.” pic.twitter.com/YhBjYPhvJ2— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 21, 2021
Richards pointed to two specific incidents that hosts and reporters had gotten wrong from the beginning. The first was Joe Scarborough’s claim that Rittenhouse had fired his weapon 60 times. The footage shared online only shows Rittenhouse firing his rifle a total of eight times.
The other point of scorn was a guest on Joy Reid’s show alleging that Rittenhouse had driven four hours with an AR-15. In reality, Rittenhouse testified in court that he had acquired the weapon at a friend’s house.
Richards said that he would not normally give guidance as a criminal lawyer over whether Rittenhouse should take civil action against the news networks for defamation. However, other professionals have approached the 18-year-old about such an option.
“When I got involved in this case, and there were a couple of other prominent lawyers who were involved and trying to make some calls, and I said, ‘Look, all of your riches and civil lawsuits are going nowhere if this kid is found guilty of anything,'” he said. “‘So let’s worry about what’s important.'”
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Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges Friday relating to an incident on Aug. 25, 2020, when he shot three people with an AR-15 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse’s actions have drawn national attention, with political pundits on both sides using the case for political fodder.
Rittenhouse’s trial has also sparked several controversial responses from pundits on the left. MSNBC host Joy Reid posted a video on Wednesday comparing Rittenhouse’s court testimony to Brett Kavanaugh, alleging that America’s “thing” for “white tears” helped both men evade accountability.
